★★★★ Alternative, Left-field rapper Kid Cudi returns to form with an ambitious new album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’. At one time, Kid Cudi was “kind of a big deal.” In 2009, he captivated the world with odd-ball album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. The album was driven by surprise, left-field hit,…
Tag: Pharrell Williams
Thomas Rhett, Tangled Up – Review
Thomas Rhett Totally ‘Kills It’ on Tangled Up – #Winning Thomas Rhett • Tangled Up • Valory • Release Date: September 25, 2015 “And this is the verse where you don’t know the words / and you don’t give a damn cause it feels good.” Right on Thomas Rhett – right on! On album number…
Review: Snoop Dogg Sounds Reinvigorated on ‘Bush’
Snoop Dogg • Bush • Columbia • US Release Date: May 12, 2015 How does a legendary MC continue to keep it G in his early 40s? He reinvents himself or at least retools. Snoop Dogg does just that on Bush by embracing his soulful, funkier side, while easing up on his edgier, more explicit…
Review: ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ Is Kendrick Lamar’s Second Consecutive Masterpiece
Kendrick Lamar • To Pimp A Butterfly • Aftermath / Interscope • US Release Date: March 16, 2015 There are two reasons that can make an album tough to review: 1) it’s absolutely horrible or 2) it’s mind-bogglingly brilliant. In the case of Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore effort To Pimp A Butterfly, it is the latter….
25 Chart Takeaways: Drake Scores Fourth Number One Album
Taylor Swift slipped to #5 on the Billboard 200! Isn’t that fact enough to make you want to read these chart takeaways? It should BE! 1) Drake hit the big time for the fourth time in his career. Surprise album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late debuts commandingly atop the Billboard 200. Was there…
25 Chart Takeaways: ‘Now 53 Settles For No. 2’
You know who is still #1 on the Billboard 200 – yep, you got it – Taylor Swift. Some new albums do grace the top five and top ten, but none had enough impact to outpace Swift. That a more chart takeaways! 1) Taylor Swift is unstoppable at #1. Talk about ruling the charts in…
Reasons Why Each 57th Grammy Nominee for Album of the Year Might Win
Sunday night marks music’s grandest occasion – the Grammy Awards! While there are four big categories, none is more coveted than album of the year. Not only is it the most highly desired, it almost always ranks among the most questionable. Save for a few homeruns (OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and Adele’s 21), one could…
Rankings: Best R&B Albums of 2014
Ranking things is hard – understatement. So look, there were many sound R&B albums in 2014 – don’t let the abysmal sales dissuade you. That said, there were only a couple of truly great ones – led by one unopposed homerun – that sit atop the standings. Here are the 25 26 Best R&B albums of…
D’Angelo’s Triumphant ‘Black Messiah’ Reenergizes R&B
D’Angelo and the Vanguard • Black Messiah • RCA • US Release Date: December 15, 2014 Arguably, an artist ‘out of the game’ for 14 long years has made the album to beat, right at the tail end of 2014. A comeback from one of neo-soul’s visionaries has long been rumored but to continual disappointments….
Favorite R&B Albums From 2004 – 2014
The time has come for the unveiling of my favorite R&B album of 2014. But first, how about examining some of my favorite R&B albums over the past 10 years. In 2004, I graduated from high school and began college in the fall – I’m so old. Anyways, staying on script, here are some favorite…
